Continued popularity of wood as a source of heat has lead to increasing use of powered apparatus for wood splitting purposes. Many different forms of mechanical wood splitters have been developed. The most common design involves a frame mounted blade and platform arrangement wherein the blade, platform or both are driven toward and away from one another usually by a hydraulic cylinder. A wood block is placed between the blade and platform and the cylinder is activated to move the platform and blade together relative to one another thereby driving the blade through the wood block.
Loading of such wood splitters typically involves manually placing each wood block on the splitter framework between the blade and platform, then holding the wood in place as the driving mechanism is actuated. There is an inherent danger that injury can occur as the wood and blade come together. A need has therefore developed for increasing safety in use of such apparatus, particularly in the area of the blade.
The present invention represents a solution to the problem of providing an efficient yet safe wood splitter.